Introduction . . .

  This is an index for the various Family branches which make-up the ancestors and relations of our Roberts Family of Missouri, circa 2001.   I began this family history search in January 2001.   With the availability of the Internet, the close relationship of many relatives and research trips to SD (Cutler, Peterson, Roberts, Townsend), to Searsport, ME (Carver) and to Orlando, FL (Roberts), information was collected at a rapid pace throughout 2001.   In addition to collecting some supporting documentation, a very large family tree, with many family branches, was created and will serve as a very good road map for my future efforts.   Plans for 2002 focused more on research trips to collect additional documentation, and less on expanding the names of the family branches.   This plan was hampered between Spring of 2002 and Spring of 2003, as we dealt with an extended effort to a residential move and some serious health issues.   However, in May 2002, we activated this permanent web site and moved our family tree information from the temporary site of 2001.   We also added pictures, historical summaries of places and other information beyond the vital data of the individuals.   By the Summer of 2003, I was again able to afford reasonable time to the effort of Family History.   With the highlight of this year being a (August) trip to Brookville IN to research Roberts ancestors, and a (September) trip to Lusk WY to research Cutler ancestors.   Also, a cemetery index was added to the web site. The last half of 2003, again involved preparing a home for sale, and the move of my Mother to a retirement apartment complex.   As 2004 began, I was looking forward to more time for family history research.   Successes will be harder to achieve now, but ever more satisfying.   Some progress was made researching our American Roberts progenitor, and the English ancestors, but we still have a difficult task to establish these ancestors.   The greatest advance this year was to make contact with many Stevens family relations of my wife, and the re-contact of several first cousins.   A visit to those cousins in Oklahoma, along with researching several generations there, was the highlight of the year.   The end of the year required some time on another move.   This time my Mother and Sister moved into a home across the street from us, were we all are enjoying the amenities of a great retirement community.   This site will provide interesting information on our ancestors to all visitors, as we uncover documentation and related data, and will be updated periodically.   And, for our family tree members, it will allow viewing of all the descendants of selected ancestors.   The predominate Families are Carver, Cutler, Roberts, Stevens and Townsend, and this site will focus primarily on these families.   Associated Families with current, or planned treatment are Applin, Granger, Peterson and Richardson, and this site will also be partitioned for these families as enhancements evolve and time permits.   My intent is to eventually publish our Family History.   . . . . . Don Roberts   | Return to Top |    

Primary and Associated Surnames . . .  Click here.

  The Primary and selected Associated Ancestoral Surnames of the Roberts Family Tree, related to Donald W. Roberts Jr. and Patricia H. (Stevens) Roberts are listed here.   Excludes Surnames by marriage of little interest to this research.   Recent Surnames of Living-only relations are not included here.   | Return to Top |    

Family Branches . . .

  Applin:   This Family Branch is of interest due to the marriage of Rueben Applin to Eunice Roberts in 1823.   Our only interest at this time is to see if Eunice Roberts ancestors are connected to our estabished Roberts Family Tree.   As such, the Applin Family will only appear in the Ancestral Tree Section, and researcher comments are of course welcome.   Carver:   This Family Branch dates back to the Mayflower and beyond.   The family lore that we were descended from Capt. John Carver, Mayflower passenger and first Governor of Plymouth Colony proved to be wrong, since John had no children.   However, the American progenitor of our Carver Family was Robert Carver, who was the nephew of John, thus making us relatives of John, but not descendants.   Robert was born about 1594 in Lincolnshire, England, and died in April 1680 in Marshfield, Plymouth Colony, MA.   Along the way, Caleb Carver, b. 5 Apr 1715 married Abigail Sherman, a descendent of Edward Doty, a Mayflower passenger.   Thus, one of our two know Mayflower ancestors was brought to our Family Tree.

Seven generations after Robert Carver of Marshfield, MA, came Master John Carver, b. 10 Nov 1799 in Prospect, ME.   During the next 100 years when wooden ship building was in it's prime, this John became a master ship builder in Searsport, ME., pioneering in ship building techniques.   Many of his siblings and his children became outstanding Ship Captains during that century, and sailed the world.   To conclude this summary, his granddaughter Artemisia Carver married Rev. Justin Kent Richardson, a descendant of Mayflower passenger William Brewster.   And so, their daughter, Elizabeth who married Alden Cutler, brought two Mayflower ancestors to our Family Tree.   There are fourteen documented generations to this American Carver Family Tree.

  Cutler:   This Family Branch comes from an old English family primarily from the Suffolk Co. area where the name was common and prominent.   John Cutler was born in 1600 in Sprowston (now Sprauston), Norfolk Co., (adjoins Suffolk Co.) England and is the progenitor of this American Cutler Family.   He arrived in Boston, MA on 8 Jun 1637 on the Rose of Yarmouth.   He was accompanied by his wife, seven children and a servant, and settled in Hingham, MA with his beloved minister, Rev. Robert Peck, A.M, and fellow Puritans.   He died in Feb 1638 before he had much time to make his mark in America.

Much is known about the suceeding generations, as Mrs. Bonnie (Cutler) Bogenrief, a well-known Cutler genealogist has researched the Family for decades, and published several volumes of Family History.   She is descended from John Cutler's son Samuel, while we are descended from his son Thomas.   We pick up our branch with William Caleb Cutler, a branch which has had little, or no prior research.   He was born on 22 Jan 1852 in Canton, IL, in a pioneering family which was very successful in farming and stock raising, first in Fulton Co., then in Hancock Co., IL.   He later moved to Centerville, IA to raise his family as a master mechanic with the Burlington, then eventually on to Lusk, WY, where he became a well-known rancher in the area.   Most of our documentation centers around his son, and my grandfather, William "Alden" Cutler, a Spanish-American War Veteran, a lawyer, City Attorney, States Attorney and County Judge in Jerauld County, SD for 50 years.   All together we have thirteen generations of this American Cutler Family documented.

  Granger: To Be Added.   Peterson:   This is a Family Branch extending from our common ancestor, Levi Townsend.   The relatives of this branch came from that great pioneering period when the Peterson, Roberts and Townsend Families helped develop their small part of the Dakota Territory in the late 1800's.   We essentially begin the recording of this branch during this period with Archie Peterson, b. 9 Jan 1884 in Keosouqua, IA, and have not carried it back to it's American progenitor.   Maybe at a future date we will.   Today, several Peterson descendants carry on with the family farming tradition in the Northville, SD area.   Richardson: William Richardson, the American Progenitor of this Richardson family, was born in England and immigrated to Newberry MA before marriage at about 20 years of age.   This family provides a link to William Brewster of the Mayflower, involves possible Revolutionary War service, and certainly Civil War service.   This family has been well documented, by publication, into the 20th century by a family member who was certified as a Mayflower descendant.   More will be added here, or on following pages at a later date.   Roberts: The Roberts Family has been prominent in the British Empire and in the United States, it members having played important roles in war and in peace.   For example, one un-related American Roberts was Major-General Benjamin Stone Roberts, b. 1811 Manchester, Vt.; grad. U.S. Military Academy in 1835; invented the Roberts breech-loading rifle.   He was assistant geologist of NY and in 1842, aided Lt. George W. Whistler in constructing the Russian system of railroads.   After serving in the Civil War he was a professor of military science at Yale until his retirement.

We believe that our earliest known acestor is William Roberts, b. Abt 1360 England, but we have no supporting documentation for the Family in England.   We have identified what we believe to be 10 generations of our line, from him to William Roberts, b. 1622 England who is likely the progenitor of our American Roberts Family.   This William Roberts was the grandson (not the son as previously thought) of Sir Thomas Roberts, b. c1559 Glassenbury, Kent, England, and Francis James, and the son of Sir Walter and Margaret Roberts.   But, still, I have no hard evidence, in hand, of the link to our line in England.

It is interesting to note that many American Roberts Families claim that their American progenitor was a Thomas Roberts, b. Abt 1600 Woolaston, Gloucester, England, who md Rebecca Hilton and became an early Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.   They also claim that Gov. Thomas Roberts is the second son of our Sir Thomas Roberts and Frances James.   Credible researchers have disproved this paternal claim, and a discussion of this is too lengthy to include here.   However, I do have references of various sources that conclude such is the case.

William Roberts, b. 1622 in England, was the progenitor of this American Roberts Family, for his son William Roberts was born Abt 1680 in MD.   Note the time period between these two "rough" birth dates.   Considerable documentation is being collected on William H. Roberts, b. 22 Dec 1817 in Centreville, MD and descendants of two of his sons.   They are William Henry Roberts, b. 20 Sep 1848 and Jasper Wallace Roberts, b. 7 May 1857.   Family Surnames of living descendants whom we have contact with include Hoellein, Holland, McCloskey, Reynolds, Roberts, Sanders, Schilter, Stansfield and Stoneback.   All together, we have twelve generations of this American Roberts Family documented.

It remains a goal to first establish the six generations of our Roberts Family that resided in MD prior to moving to IN, and secondly, to establish our English ancestors.

  Stevens:   Roger Stevens (Sr.), who was born in the mid-1600's in Wales, UK, was the progenitor of this American Stevens Family, including my wife.   Frederick Adolphus Stevens, b. 5 Feb 1818 in Ontario, Canada, was the first to move to the mid-West, marrying in MO, then raising all eleven of his children in Appanoose Co., IA.   Family lore has it that one of his children, Dr. David Stevens, after retirement from medical practice in Oklahoma, would sit on his porch and visit often with Bat Masterson.   We had no success in finding any support for this claim, and now believe that the subject of this story was Chris Madsen.   He was one of the three Guardsmen (US Marshalls), and it is readily accepted by the family that Bill Tilghman (another of the Three Guardsmen) would join the Stevens for meals in their Guthrie, OK home on occasion.   We have ten generations in America documented, but almost no documentation earlier than 1800 at this point.   Townsend:   According to Family Lore, and newspaper reports, Dr. Irwin Townsend, one of nine Gilbert G. Townsend's children, reportedly had traced the family back to Lord Charles Townshend (note the spelling).   Charles Townshend, Chancellor of the Exchequer to King George III of England was responsible for the imposition of the "Townshend Taxes" on the American colonies, which led to the Boston Tea Party.   However, we have yet to find proof of that link.   It remains a goal, to prove, or disprove this claim.

The most reliable information we have at this point, takes us back to Gilbert G. Townsend, b. 14 Apr 1804 in NY.   Family Surnames of living descendants whom we have contact with inlcude McCrory, Peterson, Ransome, Roberts, Seeley and Townsend.   All together, we have eight generations of Gilbert's descendants documented.

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Our Mayflower Ancestors . . .

  The Mayflower:   There were 102 passengers that embarked on the Mayflower, including three pregnant women.   The Mayflower left Plymouth, England on 6 September 1620, and sighted land on 9 November 1620.   Landfall was made on 11 November 1620.   Two of our Ancestors, William Brewster and Edward Doty were on board.     The Pilgrims:   The Puritan emigration, which eventually became known to the world as the migration of the Pilgrim Fathers, really began in 1607-8 when the little band of Separatists led by William Brewster fled to Holland, where they hoped to enjoy their own form of religion in freedom and peace.   The first attempt failed and Brewster himself was imprisoned for a time.   A second attempt resulted in the escape of Brewster and a few men, all the rest being seized.   Eventually, however, the whole band were united in Holland, and in 1620 they at last set sail for America.   The Brewsters, Bradfords and Carvers were among several English Pilgrim Families that settled in New England.     Brewster of The Mayflower:   Our Ancestor William Brewster, wife Mary and sons Love Brewster and Wrestling Brewster were aboard the Mayflower.   Their son Jonathan Brewster arrived at Plymouth on November 9, 1621, just a few weeks after the First Thanksgiving, aboard the ship Fortune.   Their daughters Patience Brewster and Fear Brewster arrived in Plymouth in July, 1623 aboard the ship Anne which brought new settlers along with many of the wives and children that had been left behind in Leyden when the Mayflower departed in 1620.   William Brewster was the Reverend Elder of the Pilgrim's church at Plymouth, since their pastor John Robinson remained behind in Leyden, Holland with the majority of the congregation which planned to come to America at a later time.   Brewster was a fugitive from the King of England, because he had published a number of religious pamphlets while in Leyden which were critical or opposed the tenets of the Church of England.   He had been a member of the Separatist church movement from its very beginning, and was the oldest Mayflower passenger to have participated at the First Thanksgiving, in his early fifties.     Doty of The Mayflower:   The ancestry of our Ancestor Edward Doty is unknown.   The Mormon's I.G.I. says Edward Doty was born in Shropshire, England on 14 May 1598, but this record is complete fiction.   Another entry, which is circulated widely on the internet and is also on the 1994 I.G.I. addendum is that he was baptized 14 May 1598 in St. Mary le Strand, Thurburton Hills, Suffolk, England, son of John.   This is just a perversion of the fictional Shropshire origins, and this record is, again, completely mythical.   To begin with, there is no such place as Thurburton Hills, Suffolk.   Further, the parish of St. Mary le Strand is in London not Suffolk, and contains absolutely no baptismal entries for any Edward Doty's from 1595 to 1600.   There are no fewer than eight known genuine Edward Doty baptisms that occurred between 1585 and 1605, but none have been conclusively identified as the Edward Doty of the Mayflower.   Edward Doty came on the Mayflower as an apprentice ("servant") to Stephen Hopkins, and apprentices could not generally get married until their contract term was up.   William Bradford, in his journal Of Plymouth Plantation, states in early 1651 "But Edward Doty by a second wife hath seven children, and both he and they are living."   Doty's mysterious first marriage must have occurred in Plymouth sometime after he was released from his contract with Hopkins (which apparently occurred between 1623 and 1627).   Nothing is known about his first marriage, and all his children were by his second marriage to Faith Clarke.   Edward Doty is recorded as a contentious man, often getting himself in trouble with the law.   On 18 June 1621 he fought a duel with Edward Leister, which would become the Colony's first (and only) duel.   Neither were seriously injured, and both were subsequently punished by having their heels tied to their neck.   However, their punishment was cut short due to their apparent suffering.   From that point on, Doty was in court on a number of occasions, mostly in civil disputes.   | Return to Top |    

Limited Access:   Our Family Trees are restricted to Family Members only, or selected Researchers with valid interests (for limited periods).   The Family Trees are as complete as I know them to be, and contain information on living Family Members.   The balance of this site contains historical information only, such as biographical sketches of our deceased ancestors and places, pictures, documents, etc.   To gain entry to the various Family Trees, please request a password using the link at the top of this page.

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Search Status . . .

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Web Site Status . . .

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